Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL with Emotion UI skin leads new charge

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Huawei has announced four new Android phones at IFA in Berlin, Germany, covering all the bases.

In a move designed to help Huawei stand out against companies such as Samsung and HTC, the company has also announced a new skin that will sit on top of Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS called the Emotion UI.

"Reinforcing Huawei’s user-centric design philosophy, 'Design with Empathy', Emotion UI is built on a clear understanding of how consumers interact with their smartphones and what they expect from these interactions," says Huawei on the announcement.

According to the Chinese company, the Emotion UI improves usability and provides a much simpler navigational experience for users.

On the software front, the main focus on the new skin is a “Me Widget” which allows users to combine all the information and functions they need in a single, customisable widget. “Smart Tutorial” acts as a comprehensive support tool to help entry-level users get up to speed with their phone’s features, perhaps suggesting that it expects people to struggle with the interface.

On the device front, top of the pile is the Ascend D1 Quad XL a 4.5-inch touchscreen-touting smartphone with a 1.2GHz processor, 8-megapixel rear camera, front facing 1.3-megapixel camera and 2,600mAh battery in a device 11.5mm thick.